Call for Gypsy and Traveller Sites

Recent evidence indicates a requirement for a new Gypsy and Traveller site in the Llanelli area and the Council is inviting the submission or recommendations of land for this purpose. Paragraph 17 of WAG Circular 30/2007 – Planning for Gypsy and Traveller Caravan Sites states that Local Development Plans should allocate sufficient land to meet identified needs for Gypsy and Travellers accommodation.

As part of the preparation of the evidence base for the Carmarthenshire Local Development Plan (LDP), the Council is inviting landowners, developers, and any other interested parties to suggest sites for Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation for potential consideration within the LDP. It should be noted that the evidence for the need of a new site relates only to Llanelli and only sites within the general location will be considered.

The LDP will set out the Authority’s policies and proposals for the future development and use of land within its administrative area. Upon adoption, the LDP will supersede the existing Unitary Development Plan (UDP), with decisions on planning applications primarily based on its content. It therefore provides a measure of certainty about what kind of development will, and will not, be permitted in particular locations during the plan period.

The requirement for Councils to prepare a LDP is set out in the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. The aim of the new plans is to make the development plan system more relevant, inclusive and engaging to local communities and to encourage a collaborative approach to plan preparation involving the voluntary, public and private sectors, which should result in a plan based on consensus.  The LDP process is also intended to result in a faster plan making system than that seen under the previous development plans.

The LDP will set out the Authority’s proposals and policies for future development and use of land in the area. Once adopted, decisions on planning permissions will be mostly based on the LDP. Further guidance on the Carmarthenshire LDP, it’s preparatory process, as well as current and past consultations can be found on these web pages. More guidance on LDPs can also be found on the Welsh Assembly’s website.

The deposit LDP documents were published for consultation from the 22 June 2011 and are available on the Deposit Local Development Plan webpage.  The final date for receipt of comments was 19 August 2011 at 4:30pm.

The ‘Alternative Sites’ (Site Allocation Representations) submitted in respect of the Deposit LDP were published for consultation from 25 April to 4:30 on the 8 June 2012.  

Please click here to access the Alternative Sites page.

The Representations received in respect of the non site specific (referred to as Policy) representations to the Deposit LDP as well as those in respect of the Sustainability Appraisal Report and the Habitat Regulations Assessment are also available to view via the Carmarthenshire Deposit Local Development Plan page by clicking here.  It should be noted that the publication of these representations is not part of the ‘Alternative Site’ consultation and their content is not open for comment.